Research Question: In what ways does Teacher autonomy affect and inspire learner autonomy? Author: Kyle Rodrigues
Source: Balçıkanlı, C., & Reinders, H. (2011). Learning to Foster Autonomy: The Role of Teacher Education Materials. Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal, 2(1), 15-25. Summary:
This article analyzes the interrelationship between teacher and learner autonomy. Within the article, teacher autonomy is defined as "the ability to improve one's own teaching through one's own efforts". The study within this article analyzed common teacher learning materials and searching for references to learner autonomy and how these resources guide teachers to help foster learner autonomy in their students. The study quickly showed that learner autonomy was all but nonexistent within popular teacher course materials. This is a worrying trend, because as Balcikanli and Reinders assert within the article, learner and teacher autonomy are incontrovertibly linked. Response:
I agree with Balcikanali and Reinders that an important step in establishing teacher autonomy is the fostering of learner autonomy. Another important note made in this article that i agree with is that within the study it was shown that although most teacher would agree that learner autonomy is a vital part of the learning process, new teachers generally rent provided with the necessary resources to help them foster learning autonomy within their teachers. Source: Nakata, Y. (2014). Self-regulation: Why is it important for promoting learner autonomy in the school context? Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal, 5(4), 342- 356. Summary: This article, as its' name implies, analyzes the importance of encouraging learner autonomy. The article then proceeds to analyze the place of self-regulation within learner autonomy, and scaffolding and how it relates back to learner autonomy. Within this article, the core of learner autonomy is defined as: "taking charge of one's learning", an important piece of this being self-regulation for learners.
Response: Within the article Nakata states that he believes that: "Although I believe that it is the individual teacher who knows how best to promote autonomy in his/her learners, even in the school context, and that it is ultimately one’s own responsibility to become able to do so through a trial and error process, I argue that there is great potential for learner autonomy research, through the integration of the notion of self-regulation, to provide teachers with more concrete suggestions." I agree that learner autonomy is wholly determined by the teacher and his/her ability to inspire this autonomy within students. I also agree that with further research within the field of learner autonomy (research that it undoubtedly lacking at this time), teachers can receive help in guiding their students towards autonomy. This research would be especially helpful for new teachers, who have yet to go through the "trial and error process" necessary in order to discover the best way to foster learning autonomy. Source: Hyslop-Margison, E., & Sears, A. (n.d.). Enhancing Teacher Performance: The Role of Professional Autonomy. Interchange,41(1), 1-15. Summary: This article asserts that current teacher accountability legislation(such as No Child Left Behind) diminishes the autonomy of teachers and thereby undermines the quality of education received by students. The article then states that in order to best increase teacher performance it's necessary to create a sense of accountability within the profession where each teacher strives to improve their didactic work and to reassert professional autonomy within teaching. According to the article, under the current system, student learning is impaired by current teacher accountability that often forces good teachers out of the schooling system and generally corrodes teachers' sense of personal responsibility and professional pride. The argument is closed with : "Teachers cannot be expected to prepare autonomous, reflective and politically engaged citizens unless they possess the professional autonomy and political freedom to act as a role model for their students."
Response: This article expresses many of my own ideas on teacher autonomy. Specifically, that teacher accountability legislation, not only removes teacher autonomy entirely, but also destroys personal accountability for teachers. Personally one piece of the article that I found particularly insightful was the idea that it's impossible for teachers to harbor learner autonomy without having professional autonomy themselves. One part of teacher autonomy that I had never considered before reading the article was that if teachers are given the autonomy they need in order to provide relevant and meaningful instruction, they must also assume more responsibility to compensate for the lack of governmental oversight previously in place.
Source: Cordenas, F., & Armida, M. (2012). The Impact of Teacher Training for Autonomous Learning. Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal,3(3), 215-236. Summary: Throughout this article, the authors attempt to determine whether teachers, after having been taught using a more autonomous method, become more or less supportive of learning autonomy. Additionally the article analyzes how teacher and learner autonomy affect one another. One of the assertion of this article is that both teachers and students often reject or shy away form the idea of autonomous learning, likely due to cultural traits, in favor of more traditional learning. In order to help teachers become more accepting of learning autonomy the study teaches the teachers using a more autonomous than traditional method, and by the end of the study nearly all off the teachers changed their attitudes from "teacher-centerdness" to "learner-centerdnesss". Response: Personally, while I thought that the idea of teaching teachers in order to inspire learning-centered teaching was interesting, I don't believe that this idea is practical for the teaching profession as a whole. Despite the fact that teaching this way did positively affect the teachers opinions of learning autonomy, an integral part of teaching autonomy is relying on the teachers' personal experiences to guide their teaching methods in the way that they think is best. Source: Parker, G. (2015). Teachers' autonomy. Research in Education, (93), 19-33. Summary: Throughout this piece of research, Parker examines teacher professionalism as a whole and how it relates, specifically, to teacher autonomy. Parker goes on to say that an important step towards solving current school problems is in developing teacher professionalism, and granting teachers autonomy is a pivotal step in doing so. Another point that Parker makes is that in order to increase teacher accountability, satisfaction, and motivation is to give teachers more autonomy.
Response: This article eloquently states many of my own personal beliefs regarding teacher autonomy and professionalism. Although the research is based off of the British school system, i believe that it is extremely relevant when defining teacher autonomy within the United States. For example, two of the main issues with teaching today is high stakes testing and governmental micromanagement of teachers’ curriculum. These issues lead to a steady decline in teacher professionalism, by returning teacher autonomy, teacher professionalism also increases and many of the chief issues with education begin to dissipate.
Author: Kyle Rodrigues
Source: Balçıkanlı, C., & Reinders, H. (2011). Learning to Foster Autonomy: The Role of Teacher Education Materials. Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal, 2(1), 15-25.
Summary:
This article analyzes the interrelationship between teacher and learner autonomy. Within the article, teacher autonomy is defined as "the ability to improve one's own teaching through one's own efforts". The study within this article analyzed common teacher learning materials and searching for references to learner autonomy and how these resources guide teachers to help foster learner autonomy in their students. The study quickly showed that learner autonomy was all but nonexistent within popular teacher course materials. This is a worrying trend, because as Balcikanli and Reinders assert within the article, learner and teacher autonomy are incontrovertibly linked.
Response:
I agree with Balcikanali and Reinders that an important step in establishing teacher autonomy is the fostering of learner autonomy. Another important note made in this article that i agree with is that within the study it was shown that although most teacher would agree that learner autonomy is a vital part of the learning process, new teachers generally rent provided with the necessary resources to help them foster learning autonomy within their teachers.
Source: Nakata, Y. (2014). Self-regulation: Why is it important for promoting learner autonomy in the school context? Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal, 5(4), 342- 356.
Summary: This article, as its' name implies, analyzes the importance of encouraging learner autonomy. The article then proceeds to analyze the place of self-regulation within learner autonomy, and scaffolding and how it relates back to learner autonomy. Within this article, the core of learner autonomy is defined as: "taking charge of one's learning", an important piece of this being self-regulation for learners.
Response: Within the article Nakata states that he believes that: "Although I believe that it is the individual teacher who knows how best to promote autonomy in his/her learners, even in the school context, and that it is ultimately one’s own responsibility to become able to do so through a trial and error process, I argue that there is great potential for learner autonomy research, through the integration of the notion of self-regulation, to provide teachers with more concrete suggestions." I agree that learner autonomy is wholly determined by the teacher and his/her ability to inspire this autonomy within students. I also agree that with further research within the field of learner autonomy (research that it undoubtedly lacking at this time), teachers can receive help in guiding their students towards autonomy. This research would be especially helpful for new teachers, who have yet to go through the "trial and error process" necessary in order to discover the best way to foster learning autonomy.
Source: Hyslop-Margison, E., & Sears, A. (n.d.). Enhancing Teacher Performance: The Role of Professional Autonomy. Interchange, 41(1), 1-15.
Summary: This article asserts that current teacher accountability legislation(such as No Child Left Behind) diminishes the autonomy of teachers and thereby undermines the quality of education received by students. The article then states that in order to best increase teacher performance it's necessary to create a sense of accountability within the profession where each teacher strives to improve their didactic work and to reassert professional autonomy within teaching. According to the article, under the current system, student learning is impaired by current teacher accountability that often forces good teachers out of the schooling system and generally corrodes teachers' sense of personal responsibility and professional pride. The argument is closed with : "Teachers cannot be expected to prepare autonomous, reflective and politically engaged citizens unless they possess the professional autonomy and political freedom to act as a role model for their students."
Response: This article expresses many of my own ideas on teacher autonomy. Specifically, that teacher accountability legislation, not only removes teacher autonomy entirely, but also destroys personal accountability for teachers. Personally one piece of the article that I found particularly insightful was the idea that it's impossible for teachers to harbor learner autonomy without having professional autonomy themselves. One part of teacher autonomy that I had never considered before reading the article was that if teachers are given the autonomy they need in order to provide relevant and meaningful instruction, they must also assume more responsibility to compensate for the lack of governmental oversight previously in place.
Source: Cordenas, F., & Armida, M. (2012). The Impact of Teacher Training for Autonomous Learning. Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal, 3(3), 215-236.
Summary: Throughout this article, the authors attempt to determine whether teachers, after having been taught using a more autonomous method, become more or less supportive of learning autonomy. Additionally the article analyzes how teacher and learner autonomy affect one another. One of the assertion of this article is that both teachers and students often reject or shy away form the idea of autonomous learning, likely due to cultural traits, in favor of more traditional learning. In order to help teachers become more accepting of learning autonomy the study teaches the teachers using a more autonomous than traditional method, and by the end of the study nearly all off the teachers changed their attitudes from "teacher-centerdness" to "learner-centerdnesss".
Response: Personally, while I thought that the idea of teaching teachers in order to inspire learning-centered teaching was interesting, I don't believe that this idea is practical for the teaching profession as a whole. Despite the fact that teaching this way did positively affect the teachers opinions of learning autonomy, an integral part of teaching autonomy is relying on the teachers' personal experiences to guide their teaching methods in the way that they think is best.
Source: Parker, G. (2015). Teachers' autonomy. Research in Education, (93), 19-33.
Summary: Throughout this piece of research, Parker examines teacher professionalism as a whole and how it relates, specifically, to teacher autonomy. Parker goes on to say that an important step towards solving current school problems is in developing teacher professionalism, and granting teachers autonomy is a pivotal step in doing so. Another point that Parker makes is that in order to increase teacher accountability, satisfaction, and motivation is to give teachers more autonomy.
Response: This article eloquently states many of my own personal beliefs regarding teacher autonomy and professionalism. Although the research is based off of the British school system, i believe that it is extremely relevant when defining teacher autonomy within the United States. For example, two of the main issues with teaching today is high stakes testing and governmental micromanagement of teachers’ curriculum. These issues lead to a steady decline in teacher professionalism, by returning teacher autonomy, teacher professionalism also increases and many of the chief issues with education begin to dissipate.